Vibration after visiting dealer

[RMilner]

I took my 2006 Dodge Ram 3500 to the dealer last week to have them check out a safety recall related to the steering linkage. They informed me that no action was necessary...fine. However, now I have a very noticeable vibration that I didn't have when I dropped the truck off. Most noticeable between about 53 and 59 MPH. Definitely a speed vs. engine RPM issue. I suspect a rear driveshaft issue (balance or U-joint?), but my question is, what could they have done that would cause it since they were only (supposedly) checking the front end? Again, my issue is that it wasn't there when I dropped it off. I haven't found anything obvious. Also took it to a different shop for a wheel rotation and balance just to make sure that wasn't it. Still experiencing the vibration.

 

[cerberusiam]

Nothing they should have done would cause that. Something they could have done may have caused that. What did they do?

 

[sag2]

They do the inspection without lifting the truck. If it needed parts they probably lifted it, but otherwise they might not even have moved it.

 

[RMilner]

Took the truck in for the steering linkage safety recall inspection - result was no action required. That's why I'm really curious as to how the vibration showed up when at the most they would've put it on a lift, unless in doing so they did it incorrectly and tweaked something. I've crawled around under it looking for scuffs/dents/bent arms/etc. Nothing seems out of order. Another possibility (I'm not a professional mechanic so please forgive me if my musings are off target) is that taking the weight off the suspension could have brought a worn U-joint issue to light...maybe it slipped/moved just a little and is causing the vibration. Don't know. Does that sound reasonable?

I know this issue has been brought up many times. The only reason I'm bringing it back up is that the vibration wasn't there when I dropped it off and I'm puzzled as to what could have happened at the dealership to cause it now.

 

[seafish]

U-joints ARE a common cause of vibrations and on these heavier trucks it can be quite hard to tell if a u-joint is going bad (unless it is literally about to fail) on these trucks unless both weight and load are removed from the driveline while you are checking for play. An easier way to check ujoints, if you happen to own an infrered/laser thermomoeter, is to drive the truck for awhile and then check each u-joint cap on the driveline for temperature...a bad u-joint will show up with a substantailly higher reading then a good one.

I realize that the above info does not help you at all with your quest as to what the dealer might have done to cause a vibration, but hopefully it will help you see if a ujoint is failing. Like others have said, the inspection recall for the TRE is ONLY supposed to be a visual inspection to determine the type of track bar/tre design on your truck and to note whether or not it is subject to further replacement... It seems highly unlikely they did any type of damage just by looking...(though it IS a dealership...lol) NOW perhaps if the grease monkey who drove it into the inspeciton bay drove it over a curb or took it for a quick joyride, then who knows....though my truck was inspected by the service WRITER just where I had pulled up and parked it and then I was free to go.

Here is a link to a cheap non-contact thermometer--

http://www.harborfreight.com/infrared-thermometer-93984.html

It is handy to keep in the glovebox and is good for checking wheel bearings, hubs, calipers, trailer brakes, ujoints etc...mine has lasted for several years already

 

[Bob4x4]

The inspection is supposed to be done in the service drive by an advisor. There is no labor paid for the inspection. I doubt a tech ever touched it

 

[RMilner]

Thanks all for the replies. Good info about the IR thermo - I'll have to pick one up.

Found a worn rear U-joint. I'll post the results of the repair later.

Thanks again.